Despite being around for over 50 years, there has been a severe lack of Doctor Who video games. This is because the BBC is so protective of the license, but it also has to be said that most of those launched are critical and commercial failures.

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Despite being a brand seemingly ripe to lure in a rabid fanbase, Doctor Who games have a reputation for being pretty disappointing across the board. That said, there are a few diamonds in the rough that fans may want to take a second look at, especially some of the more recent games.

Updated January 23, 2024: The specifications have been added for every Doctor Who game listed in this dicussion.

16 Doctor Who: The First Adventure

Gamefaqs: N/A

The first officially licensed Doctor Who game was launched in 1983 for BBC Micro. While the console is far from one of the greatest in history, it certainly had its charm and could make some decent games for the time. The First Adventure was not one of those games.

Even when judging it by the standards of the time, The First Adventure is an ugly-looking, poorly-made series of four minigames that players could be done within 15 minutes. They weren't even original, with each game being Doctor Who-themed versions of classics such as Pac-Man, Frogger, and Battleship.

15 Doctor Who And The Mines Of Terror

Gamefaqs: 3.4/5

Launched in 1985 for the Commodore 64, BBC Micro, and Amstrad CPC, The Mines of Terror is a 2D platforming adventure. Players must wander around a simplistic mine environment, playing as The 6th Doctor and a robot cat named Splinx, who exists only in this game.

Reviews from the time are somewhat mixed on it. It was likely an average title on the whole. However, it hasn't aged well, given that in 1985, a certain other 2D platformer was launched - Super Mario Bros.

14 Doctor Who: Return To Earth

Gamefaqs: 2.81/5

Return To Earth is a game that fits in with many of the terrible TV/Movie tie-in games of the PS2/early Xbox 360 era. This is where developers slap together a mediocre 3D-platforming game with little care or attention to the property they're making it for.

The difference with Return To Earth is that this was launched in 2010 for the Wii when that gameplay style was dying out. The graphics are horrible for the time, and the gameplay is tedious and frustrating. This was the first properly open 3D Doctor Who game fans had received by this point, so it was an incredible disappointment.

13 Doctor Who And The Warlord

Gamefaqs: 2.6/5

An oddity compared to all the other Doctor Who games, Doctor Who And The Warlord is a text-based adventure. In hindsight, this may have been the best track for these early games. The most significant part of the show's charm is its writing. This genre would allow that to come to the forefront.

Unfortunately, Doctor Who And The Warlord doesn't quite meet the mark. The writing is ok, and it was relatively on par with the show at the time, but the show was far from its peak in 1985, to begin with. On top of that, the puzzles aren't very engaging or challenging, so there's nothing particularly worthwhile to play through.

12 Doctor Who: Legacy

Gamefaqs: 2.5/5

Launched in November 2013 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the show, Doctor Who: Legacy is a match-3 game for mobile. On the surface, it sounds quite interesting, featuring all kinds of characters from the show's past and (then) present — even some rather obscure ones.

The publishers presented it as an RPG experience, but it's not really. In the loosest possible sense of the term "RPG," there is leveling up, but it's all inconsequential. Like many match-3 games launching around this time, it's like any other game in the genre, but with a Doctor Who coat of paint.

11 Doctor Who: Worlds In Time

Gamefaqs: 3/5

A Doctor Who MMORPG sounds like something that surely doesn't exist, right? That's exactly what Worlds In Time was. Made for Flash and launched in 2012, this was an MMO set in the world of Doctor Who with the ability to create characters from many of the show's numerous alien races.

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It's not as impressive as it sounds. Being made in Adobe Flash heavily limited what was possible, and while the missions appear exciting, they're just a series of basic minigames. All of the minigames were easy and simple formulas players could probably find full games for free on Zylom or such sites at the time.

10 Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock

Gamefaqs: 2.97/5

One of the most high-profile Doctor Who games in recent memory, The Eternity Clock launched in 2012 for PC, PS3, and PS Vita. It's a somewhat interesting multiple-choice action-adventure game, but its execution was ultimately disappointing.

The puzzles had variety, even if most weren't particularly original. The difference in the gameplay between The Doctor and River Song is a nice touch. On the other hand, it got repetitive and boring very fast and included strange music choices. I Am The Doctor is a great track, but hearing it on a 10-15-minute loop is infuriating.

9 Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth

Gamefaqs: 2.97/5

Launched at the same time as Return To Earth, Evacuation Earth was the counterpart for the DS and was superior in every way. Firstly, it was a pure puzzle game, one of the few genres Doctor Who fits seamlessly into. Additionally, the writing does a decent job of capturing the lead characters.

The problems come in the puzzles themselves. They move towards the good side of logic-puzzle games, but they're no Professor Layton. Even for a game aimed at children, the puzzles are disappointingly easy throughout which isn't good when they're the entire game.

8 Doctor Who: Destiny Of The Doctors

Gamefaqs: 2.63/5

On the surface, Destiny Of The Doctors sounds like a fan's dream game. It features all of the then seven Doctors with full voice acting (imitators voicing the Doctors who had passed), and the bulk of the gameplay involved exploring the huge depths of the TARDIS in first-person in full 3D.

While these factors alone may keep many fans happy, those who want a bit more from the gameplay may be disappointed. The gameplay consists of wandering to and from places while the story happens around them. Players must avoid monsters along the way, but the game's health is a number that counts down from 9999, rapidly increasing when standing near monsters. It's not challenging, but everything else may keep fans interested.

7 Doctor Who: The Mazes Of Time

Metascore: 52

Launched in 2010 for mobile platforms, The Mazes Of Time is an isometric puzzle game. In it, players must navigate maze-like levels, solve puzzles and avoid enemies. Both The Doctor and Amy Pond must complete each level with different capabilities.

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This simple set of mechanics makes for a surprisingly decent puzzle game. While it likely won't stump players who know what they're doing, it does have some challenges and solid mechanics around which puzzles are built.

6 Doctor Who: The Adventure Games

Gamefaqs: 3.21/5

A series of video game adventures launched from mid-2010 to late 2011 on PC and Mac, The Adventure Games are perhaps the games that best capture the feel of the show at the time. Written by two experienced Doctor Who writers, each episode in the game narratively felt like an episode of the show.

The gameplay wasn't perfect, but it was engaging. Exploring 3D environments throughout time and space was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, the game's license ran out and was pulled from Steam in 2017. While it is still possible to buy keys online, they're expensive due to the game's limited availability.

5 Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality

Metascore: 50

Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality is one part a console and PC port of the VR title The Edge of Time and a follow-up story. The game features good voice work from David Tennant and Jodie Whittaker in their roles as the tenth and the thirteenth doctors, respectively.

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Unfortunately, the game is let down by some bugs and glitches that affect the game's progression. However, fans of the series will enjoy their time going up against the Daleks, Cybermen, and other familiar characters and foes from the long-running sci-fi show.

4 Doctor Who: The Edge Of Time

Metascore: 60

Launched in 2019 for all VR platforms, The Edge Of Time sees players go on an adventure with the voice of the 13th Doctor. It's not for the faint of heart, as while it isn't outright a horror game, it certainly takes opportunities to scare the player here and there.

It's not the most impressive VR game out there, but it's a fun adventure in the world of Doctor Who in a format not seen outside of expensive "experience" events. A sequel, The Edge Of Reality, launched in late 2021. It is recommended players avoid the Steam version of Edge of Time, as PSVR and Oculus/Meta Quest versions have free DLC that the Steam version does not.

3 Dalek Attack

Gamefaqs: 3.72/5

The only official Doctor Who game without "Doctor Who" in the title, DalekAttack, was launched in 1992 for MS-DOS, ZX-Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amiga, and Atari ST. The game was a 2D action platformer where players could play as various incarnations of The Doctor.

While it could be argued that it was a little behind the times, it is by far the best of Doctor Who's 2D Platforming outings. The levels have a nice variety visually and design-wise, the platforming and combat mechanics are simple but still engaging, and the game feels somewhat challenging in places.

2 Doctor Who: The Runaway

Metascore: 81

Doctor Who: The Runaway is a VR game available on Steam, and it uses a striking animated cartoon-style aesthetic. Players take on the role of the Doctor's assistant as she's trying to get Volta back home to see his parents.

The Runaway is a cinematic adventure game that immerses players in its time-traveling story. VR is the perfect fit for a sci-fi adventure game like this, and it's a great VR title for younger players and long-time fans of the show. Better still, the BBC Media-developed title is free-to-play, with its only downside being short.

1 Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins

Metascore: 81

One of the most recent Doctor Who games, The Lonely Assassins, launched in the Spring of 2021 on Steam. It was developed by the same studio that made the critically acclaimed Sara Is Missing and SIMULACRA.

This game takes the same format as those games, being a found footage mystery. A player finds the phone of a missing person (in this instance, a UNIT operative), and they must solve cryptic puzzles to unlock more sections on the phone to solve the mystery. The mystery, in this case, is that of the Weeping Angels. It's a great puzzle game in a format that is still relatively fresh in the indie market.

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